Analysis: Ken Paxton, Texas’ top lawyer, plays for an audience of one
The attorney general’s challenge to the election results in four other states baffles many lawyers, but President Donald Trump likes it. Full Story
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![Attorney General Ken Paxton greets President Donald Trump as Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick follows at Austin Bergstrom International Airport in 2019.]()
Credit: Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via REUTERS -
GOP megadonor Sheldon Adelson readies 2021 lobbying blitz to bring casinos to Texas
Adelson's Las Vegas Sands has built a stable of high-powered lobbyists for the session, which starts in January, and the company acknowledged Tuesday that it is serious about bringing casinos to Texas. Full Story
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![Sheldon Adelson sits onstage before a speech by U.S. President Donald Trump at the Israeli American Council National Summit in Hollywood, Florida. Dec. 7, 2019.]()
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Trump, Republicans pin hopes on Texas lawsuit to overturn election results, but legal experts say it's a long shot
Donald Trump's legal team filed to intervene in the Texas lawsuit contesting the election results on Wednesday. The president reportedly asked U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz if he would argue the case before the U.S. Supreme Court, if it agrees to hear it. Full Story
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![President Donald Trump speaks during an Operation Warp Speed Vaccine Summit in the South Court Auditorium of the of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House on Dec. 8, 2020 in Washington, DC.]()
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Dan Patrick wants to change Senate rules so GOP keeps a key advantage, despite losing its supermajority
The lieutenant governor said Wednesday he wants the Senate to decrease the threshold required to bring legislation to the floor to 18 members, which would allow the GOP to continue sidelining Democrats. Full Story
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![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick reminds senators to keep their testimonies short during a discussion on Committee Substitute Senate Bill 1663 relating to the removal, relocation or alteration of certain monuments or memorials, on the Senate floor on May 7, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune -
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn's reelection bid received a big cash assist from national Republicans late in campaign
The super PAC backing Cornyn's reelection, Texans for a Conservative Majority, got a $1.2 million donation from the Senate Leadership Fund days before the election. Full Story
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![U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, visited College Station on Oct. 28, 2020, as part of his statewide bus tour. Cornyn was also joined by Rick Perry and Pete Sessions at this campaign stop.]()
Credit: Amna Ijaz/The Texas Tribune -
On Election Day, Republicans lost a critical advantage in the state Senate. Will Dan Patrick push to change the rules?
In January, the lieutenant governor suggested he could push to further lower the threshold required to bring bills to the floor if the GOP lost its supermajority. Now that that has happened, it remains to be seen whether Patrick will follow through. Full Story
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![Senate floor on Mar. 4, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr. / The Texas Tribune -
Gov. Greg Abbott endorses Drew Springer over Shelley Luther in Texas Senate special election runoff
Springer and Luther, who has been a vocal opponent of Abbott's pandemic management, are in a Dec. 19 special election runoff. Full Story
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![Drew Springer at The Texas Tribune Festival on Sept. 28, 2019.]()
Credit: Juan Figueroa for The Texas Tribune -
GOP lawmakers heading into the legislative session take aim at voter fraud, despite no evidence of widespread problem
Nearly a dozen pieces of legislation, all of them filed by Republicans, target mail-in balloting, illegal voting and misbehaving elections officials — inspired by events and talking points from the previous election cycle. Full Story
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![Harris County election workers run the drive-thru for incoming election materials at the NRG Arena in Houston on Nov. 3, 2020. Representatives from over 800 precincts drove to election headquarters to drop off their ballot data.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Harris County GOP chair who assumed role after facing backlash for racist Facebook post resigns
Keith Nielsen won the job in March, but as he prepared to take office this summer, he faced widespread condemnation for posting a Facebook graphic juxtaposing a Martin Luther King Jr. quote with a banana. Full Story
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![Keith Nielsen.]()
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Analysis: Texas elections are over. Now it's time to govern.
The seasons change in the political world, too. We're in that periodic move from electioneering to governing. The Washington version is noisy. The Texas version is a bit quieter, but it's underway. Full Story
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![Exterior of the state Capitol on Nov. 19, 2020.]()
Credit: Amna Ijaz/The Texas Tribune -
Texas Republicans have blocked voter access legislation for years. The pandemic may change that.
More than 60 election-related bills have been filed in the House and Senate in the three weeks since the election. About half of them are aimed at increasing voter access, which lawmakers said became a more urgent issue during the pandemic. Full Story
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![Election workers assist voters with their mail-in ballots at the Harris County ballot drop-off site at NRG Stadium in Houston on Oct. 28, 2020.]()
Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Trust the voters and congratulate the winners, or bear the consequences
Tearing down confidence in the election process takes everything else along with it, from winners and losers to the government itself. Full Story
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![Harris County election workers wheel in polling materials that contain ballot data at the NRG Arena in Houston on Nov. 3, 2020.]()
Credit: Pu Ying Huang for The Texas Tribune -
Oil companies snag Gulf of Mexico waters for offshore drilling in last bid before Biden transition
President-elect Joe Biden has promised to ban new oil and gas leasing on public lands and waters. The Trump administration held its last Gulf of Mexico auction Wednesday. Full Story
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![An Offshore oil drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico.]()
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Watch: Lawmakers discuss the state budget, redistricting and their priorities ahead of Texas’ 2021 legislative session
Plus, what the Legislature will look like in a pandemic, and what Tribune reporters are watching most this legislative session. Full Story
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How split-ticket voting might have saved two Republican Texas lawmakers in a blue county
Texas Republicans managed to avoid net losses in the state and U.S. House this election cycle in part because voters in key districts showed a willingness to vote Democratic at the top of the ballot and Republican lower down. Full Story
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![Voters at the polling place inside the Metropolitan Multi-Service Center in Houston on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2020.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Texans in many border counties voted for Donald Trump — and then for Democrats
Trump flipped a couple of historically Democratic counties on the Texas border this year. But in many cases, his showing didn't benefit the other Republicans on the ticket. Full Story
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![A neighborhood surrounding downtown Rio Grande City on Nov. 11, 2020]()
Credit: Jason Garza for The Texas Tribune -
TribCast: Many Texas Republicans aren't acknowledging Joe Biden as president-elect
On this week's TribCast, Matthew talks with Ross, Abby and Emma about the Texas GOP's response to the presidential election, the Affordable Care Act before the U.S. Supreme Court and the upcoming legislative session. Full Story
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![Joe Biden at the National Education Association presidential forum in Houston on July 5, 2019.]()
Credit: Michael Stravato for The Texas Tribune -
Democrats didn’t get a blue wave, but some of the fastest-growing suburbs in Texas are still moving to the left
Although Democrats didn't flip any congressional seats, experts said that demographic growth is still fueling a change in counties like Fort Bend, Collin and Williamson. Full Story
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![Voters wait in line to cast their ballot at the Dripping Springs Ranch Park in Dripping Springs during early voting in October.]()
Credit: Jordan Vonderhaar for The Texas Tribune -
Analysis: Texas Republicans and Allen West, their nettlesome party animal
Republican officeholders couldn't have had a better election in Texas this year, but they've still got noisy and loud critics — inside their own political party. Full Story
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![The Honorable Allen West gave remarks during TPPR's Policy Orientation on February 9, 2018.]()
Credit: Marjorie Kamys Cotera for The Texas Tribune -
There’s no evidence of widespread voter fraud, but Dan Patrick is encouraging people to report it with up to a $1 million reward
The Republican lieutenant governor's crusade for proof of election problems in Texas comes as members of his own party dominated up and down the ballot. Full Story
![Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick reminds senators to keep their testimonies short during a discussion on Committee Substitute Senate Bill 1663 relating to the removal, relocation or alteration of certain monuments or memorials, on the Senate floor on May 7, 2019.]()
Credit: Miguel Gutierrez Jr./The Texas Tribune